Matthew 16:13-17(AMP) Now when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they answered, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or [just] one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus answered him, “Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, favored by God] are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood (mortal man) did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
Who is Jesus? That’s a most critical question. Who do you say, the Son of Man is? What does this mean to you? Different people and religions have different perspectives on Jesus. Who is He? Peter declared that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God. Peter was convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the coming king who would miraculously heal the people and drive out the oppressors in the land.
It is interesting to note that the term Son of Man comes from the book Daniel in the Old Testament, where Daniel records a vision explicitly about the future, referencing a ‘Son of Man’. In other words, the son of man represented by Daniel was a powerful figure from heaven who would establish an eternal Kingdom that would encompass all peoples.
Daniel 7:9-14(NKJV) “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened. “I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.“
There are more scriptures that show Jesus as the Son of Man:
Matthew 8:20(NASB) Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Matthew 9:6(NASB) But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.”
Mark 8:31(NASB) And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Luke 9:26(NASB) For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
John 12:23(NASB) And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
The incarnated Jesus was called the Son of Man and Christ because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and became an ordinary man, living in the company of other men. From the outside, He looked just like an ordinary man, but He was the incarnation of God’s Spirit, and was God in essence.
God made Himself the Son of Man so that all who believe in the Son can become sons of God. The infinite God became finite so that we might be freed from our limited and finite nature.